Three Needful things: The question of Survival

In a General Survival Question I recently asked:

If you were going to be dropped off in a Random "inhabitable" spot on this earth.... and were only alowed to choose One of each: A book, a tool and a Pet... what would you choose for each of the three categories to bring along with you? (Price is not really a part of this question)

What would you choose to bring along in each catagory?

Three People responded initially and each of them Got at least 1 of my 3 answers.. and one of them by the name of "ANN1Az2" actually got two out of three!!! (Congratulations!!)

King James Bible

If you are going to buy a bible... you might as well get your moneys worth.... | Source

My Answers were: 1) The Bible

For General and Inspirational reading. (I do not leave home without it). While a book on Survival sounds great at first... When you need survival tricks in the field, is not the time to stop and read a book to learn how to do it... Read that book in your spare time NOW... before you need it.

I also want to present you with the thought that your reading time in a survival atmosphere should not be spent learning "How to survive" but rather to relax after having survived. Wisdom you see, is from the Lord.. and he gives it freely to whoever asks him. Spare time during survival would be a great time to spend talking with and walking with the Lord.

Leatherman TTi with 19 tools and 8 driver bits in a small lightweight convenient belt case

2) A Leatherman Charge TTi

A Leatherman Charge TTi is like a Leatherman Wave, only its a little better in my oppinion as it has a main blade that is 4x harder than the otherwise best stainless steel that the Wave is made of... Has tools for about anything you need to do including Saw, two types of files (Diamond and Normal) Screw drivers and scissors, bottle opener and several types of Plyers all rolled into one very small tool... (I also do not leave home with out this item which is kept on my belt at all times). This item is so much a part of my being that reaching for it, is about the same as reaching for my keys... or turning on a light switch when I walk into a room... its not something that needs thought.. it just happens. In survival your Survival tools, and instincts need to be fluid... a thought becomes an action.

German Shepherd

Last Item 3) Was a German Shepherd.

Last Item 3) Was a German Shepherd. I do not have one at this time... My kids want a pet... and I may indulge them on this one some day...

But I have had many dogs over the years and just one stands out above the others when it comes to the needs presented in This potential Survival situation.

In my mind was a complex question of:

"What type of a dog is not only ferocious against any foe... but also has tremendous qualities of Loyalty... and ... Last but not least... a tremendous amount of Common Sense?---- My answer: German Shepherd (by a landslide)

My thinking about a few other Dog Breeds

While a Jack Russel Terrier would probably win hands down on the brains category.. their size eliminated them from my list.

Dingoes and Red or Blue Heelers are very smart like Jack russels and just as loyal.. but still lacking in size.

Duhbees??? Duh... what??? Need I say more??? :-) They do violent reactions to quickly and leave the thinking to their master... this may be good for a junk yard dog but in survival you may need to rely on your dog figuring things out... I would not want to rely on a "dopey doby" in this type of situation... (Yes I have owned them in the past)

Wolves: (I have owned several) Wolves are great loyalty animals and are extremely shrewd.. but can be very hard to train and strong willed to the point of doing it their own way when it needs to be done by the command. Could easily become more of a nuisance than a help...

Labradors are great dogs... Loyal as all get out. But may lack in ferocity and Brains. To one Labradors credit... it recently saved my Dads life by attacking a large Cottonmouth Water Moccasin... the dog was bitten several times in the face and frontal area but killed the Snake and tore it in pieces. Very Loyal but lacking in smarts... Dad carries a gun... the dogs know this... but that dog will not wait for dad to kill the snakes... She attacks first... also does not mind too well.. Possibly a product of some training issues... or lack thereof..

There are other dogs that may fit my criteria better than a German Shepherd... maybe ... But cost of exotics and the troubles of feeding them something other than leftovers might eliminate them as well...

Its a bird.. or a plane.. no.. its a flying Jack Russell !!!

Flying Jack Russell

Red Heeler from Australia

Doberman

Rottweiler

My thinking about a few other Dog Breeds

My thinking about a few other Dog Breeds

Rottweilers... At first I was thinking of them as Dubees on steroids but then I got to thinking more about them... Their resemblance of Doberman Pincers is mostly only Color... I did some more research on Rotts.. and their intelligence factors... they are probably allot more suited to the task than I originally thought.... and I remembered something long forgotten. In my distant memory... there was a Rottweiler that I saw one time... Who had a very nasty scar on his shoulder and back (about 14 inches long and very deep) and seemed to take forever to heal.. I talked to its owner and she told me that the Dog had received that massive Cut from an intruder that attempted to rob their house / apt... and attacked the dog with a Machete.. The Dog however won the day and the house was kept safe till the people arrived home... the intruder left in questionable condition, but when the owner arrived, The dog greeted the owner and then finally collapsed having almost bled to death. They rushed it to the Vet and got it stitched up and the Dog eventually recovered.. One thing I can say for Rotts.. they are VERY TOUGH and according to what I have read more recently.. May have the same intelligence factor as German Shepherds... If so??? Possible another great choice.

Wolves: (I have owned several) Wolves are great loyalty animals and are extremely shrewd.. Very highly Intelligent... So intelligent that they think they know more than you do!!! They can be very hard to train and Very strong willed to the point of doing it their own way when it needs to be done by the command. They Could easily become more of a nuisance than a help...

Labradors are great dogs... Loyal as all get out. But may lack in ferocity and Brains. To one Labradors credit... it recently saved my Dads life by attacking a large Cottonmouth Water Moccasin... the dog was bitten several times in the face and frontal area but killed the Snake and tore it in pieces. Very Loyal but lacking in smarts... Dad carries a gun... the dogs know this... but that dog will not wait for dad to kill the snakes... She attacks first... also does not mind too well.. Possibly a product of some training issues... or lack thereof..

There are other dogs that may fit my criteria better than a German Shepherd (or Rottweiler)... maybe ... But cost of exotics and the troubles of feeding them something other than leftovers might eliminate them as well...

Those were my Picks... feel free to comment and throw in your two bits:-)

Comments

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AUTHOR

MrMaranatha

6 years agofrom Somewhere in the third world.

Ill tell you a little secret about Leatherman tools... For common use.. you can usually find a Leatherman Wave in really Good used condition or New out of box on Ebay for under $40.00 That is a pretty good deal... I have found them for as low as about 25 at times... even better. The Leatherman Wave is almost identical to the CHarge TTi that I prefer but it does not have the Hook on the back of the serrated blade... and its made from a more normal grade of Stainless steel than the Charge TTi... Its still a very high quality tool and very practical. A great addition to any womans purse you can be sure.. THe scissors are strong enough and precise enough to trim eyebrows and cuticles.. the diamond file is great for nails... :-) My wife "Borrows" mine all the time...LOL

AUTHOR

MrMaranatha

6 years agofrom Somewhere in the third world.

Bengal Tiger:-) Reminds me of an old Joke between the Feds and Cajon Poacher... Something about them telling him he couldnt have a Gater as a Pet.. he replied they needed to shut up before they hurt its feelings... "He thinks hes a German Shepherd... "Now Sick'em!!!"

Deb Welch

6 years ago

Reading this Hub - throughout - I envisoned Jesus of modern-day in a survival mode. I never heard of the tool - Leatherman tool - it looks very handy indeed, and one,probably,I could use. You never mentioned a cat - the Bengal is very clever and loyal - they also are good at figuring problems out as well as a German Shepherd. Yes - The Holy Bible would be my choice as well - The King James Version - God's Biggest Miracle. Voted Up, Useful, Awesome and Interesting.

AUTHOR

MrMaranatha

6 years agofrom Somewhere in the third world.

Well there is not necessarily a right or wrong answer in any of this... each of us has our own preferences... it is more like an exercise of "What if?"

For myself, I find a Machete rather awkward in use, sort of cumbersome and barely practical... I have carried them.. used them... If I were to choose something along that line it would Probably be either a Cane Cutter... or maybe a high quality sword... like a real Samurai sword.. (not one of the cheap ones) but then that form of item would not be practical in the rest of my thinking.. like making snares and the other uses for which I would find the L tool much more practical.

Now... As for use as a weapon. My Leathermans blade is long enough to kill and is extremely Sharp.. It is small in size and very fast in comparison... It does not have so much "Fear Factor" in being shown off... but by the time you see it... you would already be realizing your mistake... One thing that is important to remember... the best tool for the Job is the one that is readily available... in this case the Leatherman tool would be practicaly a part of my hand allready.. but the Sword/machete thing would be in the tent or wherever until I felt the need to use it... In self defense... that is a day late and a dollar short in my case.

Sherry Hewins

6 years agofrom Sierra Foothills, CA

I still prefer my answer of a machete instead of one of those multi-tool things, a machete can be used as a weapon, or to hack your way through brush, chop wood or cut meat or vegetables.

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